Wi-Fi
[Representational Image] Five key parameters to remember while buying a Wi-Fi router for home In Picture: Signboard showing free Wi-Fi service in Istanbul City.Reuters file

In this age of information, Internet has become integral part of our life. Now, a normal house in any urban area and suburbs will have an Internet modem connection via fiber. However, the port-to-port cable connection is losing sheen as it will leave a trail of long messy and intertwining cables in between rooms, if there are multiple PCs in the house. Many prefer to go for Wi-Fi routers, as it can beam signal wirelessly to laptops and also to smartphones, as well.

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That being said, it is a bit tedious task to find a perfect Wi-Fi router that suits your needs. Here, we have listed key parameters you should consider while buying a Wi-Fi router for your home.

1) Make sure the device is certified by Wi-Fi Alliance- More than 350 companies are registered to the Wi-Fi Alliance forum and all their products undergo and pass rigorous tests that ensure seamless interoperability with other Wi-Fi Certified products.

2) Always go for Wireless N series: Despite its expensive price-tag, Wireless N routers is using the latest IEEE 802.11n technology. As compared to the technology in legacy G Wireless routers, Wireless N routers offer faster connection, and better coverage in your home. Further, Wireless-N routers are said to offer state-of-the-art data encryption to protect your wireless data during transmission over the air.

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3) 802.11ac Routers: If your locality is crowded with lot of wireless routers, it is advisable to go for dual-band Wi-Fi device with 802.11 ac standard. This router supports simultaneous networks on both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz bands. This allows you to use the 2.4 GHz network for basic Internet traffic and for connecting devices such as smartphones and tablets, and use the less congested 5 GHz band to stream music and HD Video without interruption. For those unaware, 802.11ac is based on Multi-User Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology, where in four clients can have their own data streaming simultaneously. For reference, look for Wi-Fi routers with labels like AC1200, AC1750, AC3200 and so on.

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4) Wi-Fi WPA2 protocol: Make sure the Wi-Fi router you buy supports WPA2 protocol, as it offers high security for data transmission and also a secured firewall to thwart unauthorised access via hacking.

5) Make sure the Wi-Fi router supports 4 Gigabit port: Routers with 4 Gigabit port offers speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional 10/100 ports and also ensures that you can stream HD video content without breaking up.